Demigod Battles
by LucarioLover2488
Summary: Scarlet A. Rose and Orfeo Crow has been close with each other since forever. But when Scarlet dies, Orfeo lives on for the sake of both of them and soon, he becomes part of the Argo II. But when there's been signs of gladiator battles, they must travel to the island where they will face their enemies, harsh battles but most importantly...their love life. Pairings listed in here!
1. Prologue

**Main Pairing: OC x OC and Nico x Percy –Nicery (Nico tops Percy)–**

**Side Pairing: (Pending because I'm fighting between Frank x Hazel x Leo and Jason x Leo as well as Piper x Annabeth and Reyna x Annabeth… X_X FML XD)**

**Warning: Those who do not like these pairings or just homophobic, don't like, don't read. LEARN THE DAMN RULE! Oh and spoilers. BIG spoilers.**

**Mii-kun: =w=" Lu-chan does not own PJatO. They belong to Rick Riordan. She only owns her OCs though. **

**Kuro: No flames unless you want us to use them for marshmallows. Oh, and if you have a critic review, don't write it in a way that is listed as you hate the story.**

**Me: Exactly! Just some friendly pointers are needy. ^^"**

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, look. It's <em>that_ girl."_

"_Who? Ohh…You mean Circus Girl."_

"_I heard the circus she was in was burned down by some gangsters."_

"_Maybe the circus people borrowed money from them and they demand to get it back. You know how poor circus people are."_

_The group of pompous women laughed about the lonely 5-year-old, who was looking at the retreating group while hugging the little stuffed toy in her hand, sitting at a lonely swing of the park. She had scarlet hair and magenta eyes; her little white dress matches that of a kid dressed for a play date. The stuffed toy was a small, stuffed Jack Skellington toy, something the girl had received from her mother. _

_Her _**late**_ mother._

_The thought made her eyes sting with the need to cry. But she held in her tears as best as she could. She can't cry. Mommy wouldn't want her to cry._

_Her thoughts cut off from the sudden disappearance of her toy and she looked up to find a boy bigger than her dangling her toy in the air, grinning evilly._

"_Lookie here. I got a little toy to play with. Hahaha!"_

_The little girl clenched her hands into fist. "G-Give him back!" The girl cried and she got off her swing, trying to get the toy that is out of her reach._

_The bully stuck his tongue out. "Fat chance! I think I should have this sold. I'm sure someone would want to buy this…"_

"_No! Give Mr. Jack back!" The little girl cried out. When the bully only laughed at her weakness, she got angrier and bit on his arm that was holding her toy in hostage._

"_Ow! You annoying kid!" The bully growled and smacked her across the face. She fell to the ground and touch the stinging pain on her cheek, turning her head to look at the angry bully. He snorted at the tears running down her face and tossed the toy at her side, letting it land on the grassy ground. "This must be why you have no mommy and daddy! Because you bite people! You're weird! You're super weird!"_

_The girl's heart throbbed in pain at those words. She always felt she was different and even when her mother explained that she had ADHD and dyslexia, it doesn't help her 'fit in'. It only made her more different. But when the truth came from her mother, it always felt like she's special to her mother._

_She grabbed her toy and dusted off some of the dirt and grass on it, hugging it tightly in her arms. _

_The bully sneered at the sight of her cradling her toy and grabbed a nearby stick._

"_Still clutching that stupid toy, huh? You're weak! You're a weak weirdo! You're better off dead!" He raised his stick, preparing to strike down the girl from behind._

_The little girl tingled from the back of her neck up to her scalp and before the bully can slam down the stick, the little girl rolled over to the other side, dodging the incoming attack. The bully looked surprised for a moment before he growled. He turned to her and pointed his stick at her._

"_Hold still, you monster!"_

"_I think you're the only monster here, brat."_

_The bully turned around to see a young boy, around the age of 7, leaning against the monkey bars next to the swing. The boy had black hair with light beige-colored skin and black eyes. His clothes caught the girl's attention. His dark blue jeans was ripped slightly, like a beast had attacked him and his dark gray shirt had some bloody stain as well as some ripped holes but he looked alright as if he was never harmed._

_The bully pointed his stick at the boy. "What do you want, pretty boy? Coming here to mess with me, HUH?!" The bully invaded the boy's personal space when he emphasized his last word, an expression worthy to be beaten appearing on his face. But the boy didn't seem troubled. Instead, he looked annoyed._

"_Will you go away, big guy? I doubt you have that much skill in sticks." This infuriated the bully and he grabbed the boy by the collar, making the girl cried out._

"_Leave him alone!"_

"_Shut up! You're not the boss of me!"_

"_No, she isn't. But she is smart to warn you."_

_The boy grabbed the bully's wrist and when the bully was about to punch him, the boy gripped it tight and landed a punch so fast, the girl almost thought she was imagining things. The bully cried out in pain and released the fabric, rubbing his new bleeding nose. The boy only gave him a deadly glare._

"_If I see you mess with her again, you're dead. Now __**scram**__."_

_The bully growled but when the boy growled back, the bully whimpered and ran away with a tail between his legs._

_The boy relaxed and turned to the little girl, kneeling down a little to pat her head._

"_You okay?"_

"_M-Mm…" She nodded lightly and hid half of her face behind her toy's head. The young boy laughed a little._

"_You're pretty shy for a girl who managed to dodge and bite. What's your name?"_

"_Sca…Scarlet A. Rose…" She mumbled quietly and clutched her toy tighter. The boy grinned._

"_Nice to meet you, Scarlet. My name is Orfeo. Orfeo Crow." He suddenly lifted his head and scanned the area around them. "Where are your parents?"_

"…_M-Mommy…isn't with me anymore…" Scarlet mumbled sadly and buried her face into her toy. Orfeo looked at her with a sympathetic look._

"_Oh…Then…where's your daddy?"_

_Scarlet shook her head. "I never knew him…Mommy said he is always busy and he doesn't have time to see me…I don't have a daddy or a mommy…" She sniffled and closed her eyes tightly. "I ran away but I have nowhere to go…my new family is mean…I miss my old one…They were poor and they live in a circus but I'm happy with them…"_

_She started to cry and her heart broke in two at the remembrance of her beloved family being burned to their death. She was lucky to made it out alive but only because her family sacrificed themselves for her safety._

"…_Then don't worry!"_

"_H-Huh?" She lifted her head with tears-streaked cheeks, confusion in her eyes._

_Orfeo grasped one of her hands and smiled encouragingly. "You don't have to be scared anymore because I'm gonna protect you! We'll be a new family. You, me and lots more! I won't let anything bad happen to you or our family!"_

_Scarlet sniffled again, gripping tight on his hand. "P-Promise?"_

_Orfeo squeezed her hand softly. "I promise."_

"_Orfeo!"_

_Scarlet and Orfeo turned to a running teen. He walked funny and he wore a strange, green top hat with a white and green hoodie and baggy pants with thick shoes. How can a teenager such as him wear something like that, she wouldn't know. She had already considered weirdness as part of her life that followed her anyways but this was a different weirdness._

"_There you are! I have been looking all over for you! Why did you have to-" The teen blinked at her, his nose almost twitching. "Oh. You found her."_

"_Wait, Clover, this is the one we're looking for?"_

"_Yep." The person, Clover, gently picked her up and grinned at her. "Hey, little one. Don't be afraid."_

_Scarlet didn't let go of her toy. Clover held her in his arms and turned to Orfeo._

"_They're coming for her."_

_They? They who?_

"_That fast? Those hellhounds are really good sniffers."_

_Hellhounds…Those creatures were mentioned to her by her mother. She would always tell her stories of mythical creatures and though she doesn't remember much, she loved the stories._

"_Then we better hurry. Camp is just close by."_

"_C-Camp…?"_

_Orfeo looked at her and smile so dazzlingly, Scarlet felt her cheeks growing hot._

"_Yep. Camp Half-Blood. Your new home."_

"_Home…"_

_The word seemed so foreign but she decided to trust these strangers as they head off, the sounds of barking getting further and further away._

_~The Present~_

"Scarlet, come on! You're gonna miss all the partying here!"

A 15-year-old Scarlet lifts her head and looks over her shoulder to see one of the Hermes kids beckoning her to come over. She only shook her head and turns to the moonlight lake with the hood of her red and white hoodie shirt covering half of her face in darkness. Her light gray pants and white sneakers are shown out of the shadows.

Percy and his crew, the _Argo II_, have defeated Gaia and though she's happy that the world is saved yet again, she still have so many troubles in her life that it's driving her insane. She can hear the other demigods partying at the bonfire, celebrating their victory that it made Scarlet smiled at the memory of when _she_ first found out about being a demigod.

_~10 Years Ago~_

"_Demigod?"_

"_That's right." Orfeo nodded. "A demigod is a child who has a human parent and a god parent. I'm not sure whether you understand this but it's the reason why you have ADHD and dyslexia. ADHD helps you fight better and dyslexia is for making you read Ancient Greek properly."_

"_Then…is my daddy a god?"_

"_Pretty much, seeing as how your dad didn't meet you. But there are a lot of gods; it's hard to say which god your dad is. But don't worry, the gods will claim you sooner or later. For now, you live with the Hermes kids and me." Orfeo paused before whispering to her quietly. "Just be careful of your things. They tend to steal for fun. Most of the time anyways."_

_The Hermes kids made her nervous. There were so many kids and some of them aren't even related to Hermes. She saw the sad, lost look on the kids who have yet to be claimed. She didn't want to become like that._

"_They're like that because they aren't claimed yet. The gods are too busy to claim or maybe they have been forgotten."_

"_That's mean…why do they forget their own children?"_

"_Maybe they gotten too busy…We can't always blame them though, no matter how wrong they are…"_

"_Then do you know who your parent is…?"_

_Orfeo shook his head. "No. But I don't mind. I make my own history. I'm an orphan, you see. I have no mom or dad. But Chiron, the white centaur you saw just now, help raised me. Camp Half-Blood is my home." Orfeo looked at her with determination in his eyes, a big grin on his face. "And I'm going to protect it. No matter what."_

_~The Present~_

Scarlet hugs her knees together and a group of Aphrodite's daughters walks by, snickering as they do so.

"Hey, it's Circus girl."

"Shush! She'll hear you!"

"Who cares? She isn't claimed yet so she doesn't know her power. Why does that matter?"

Scarlet closes her eyes and sighs. As usual, the girls are mocking her for having no parents. She have heard of people talking behind her back, since she has lived in Camp Half-Blood as those who are a year-rounder, ever since she was 5. Percy had promised that all the demigods shall be claimed when they reached 13 but it seems the ones over it are not included.

She can remember the day when someone had been claimed…

And that was the day everything in her life had changed.

_~5 Years Ago~_

_It had been after at the party after the Capture the Flag game when it happened._

_Orfeo and Scarlet were dancing with the Hermes kids and the other unclaimed demigods, celebrating their victory of the game._

_Suddenly, something glowed red above Orfeo's head. Scarlet thought he must be the son of Ares, with the red color that beamed on her and the others._

_But she was wrong._

_Hovering above Orfeo's head was the symbol of a skull. The deadly symbol of Hades, the God of Death._

_No one dared to respond. Chiron stepped forward and announced._

"_All hail Orfeo, son of Hades!"_

_~The Present~_

Scarlet lets out a sigh again, saddened by the memory. Ever since Orfeo had been claimed by Hades, everyone, including the friends they have made, avoided him. Only she stood by his side.

Nico di Angelo is a nice guy, so to speak. He and Orfeo got along fine but even though Nico is the counselor of the Hades Cabin, he would still disappear from time to time so Orfeo got lonely a few times. Scarlet would spend her time with him, no matter what others said about the children of Hades.

Then there came _that_ quest.

It wasn't Orfeo's first quest but it was his first to lead it. And lead he did, splendidly. The troops he led made everyone befriend the son of Hades again and because of that, Orfeo's popularity increases.

As well as how much further the gap between her and Orfeo became.

Not only did his new friends cut her time with Orfeo alone, he had grown even more handsome than before. Her crush when she was 5 grew into a full-blown, one-sided love by the age of 9. She had changed from the crying little Circus girl to the lonely, unclaimed teenager and knowing that her love will never return just made her even more alone.

All because of that one infuriating girl too…

_~A Year Ago~_

"This is it. I'm gonna tell him!"

_After so much pushing from her friends, Clarisse (and believe me, her push is PAINFUL!) and some words of encouragement from Chris, Scarlet walked confidently with a present from when she went to her quest._

_A wristband._

_You must be thinking. Why a _wristband_? As you all know, weapons and shields have forms like Percy's pen, Jason's coin and Thalia's Aegis. Scarlet nearly died getting this wristband but it will be worth it. She remembered the name of this wristband as it opened on one side and out popped a shield._

_The shield was round in shape and it was made out of Stygian, a material found only in the Underworld. The image on it was a red skull, the symbol for Hades. She wasn't sure how something like this found its way to her side when she woke up one morning but it was perfect for Orfeo. He had been getting injuries and though he said it was nothing, she knew he needed a shield. She was pretty sure it wasn't a cursed idea, since she'd been carrying it with her since her quest._

_She walked with determination, a smile on her face made some of the campers who knew her well to grin at the side of her happiness. She saw the Hades cabin but just when she's about to head over there, her heart stopped when the door opened._

_Walking out of the door was a cautious Nico. When he noticed Scarlet, his eyes widen with worried. But it was far too late. The next one to came out the door was Orfeo._

_With a girl in his arms._

_She knew the girl well. It was Candi Beaut, one of the Aphrodite's kids and not the good ones she had known. Of all people to pick from, why _her_?_

_Candi noticed Scarlet standing in the dark, the shield getting retracted and smirked while turning to Orfeo. "Oh, Orfeo, I love you soooooo much!" Candi said loudly, trying to irritate Scarlet in every nerve she had._

_For all Scarlet knew, her nerves were numbed._

_Orfeo turned to Candi and smiled, whispering those words Scarlet wanted to hear when he said it towards her._

"_I love you too."_

_It broke her heart._

_Orfeo noticed Scarlet at the distance and smiled widely, waving at her. "Hey, Scarlet! There you are! I want you to meet-"_

"_We met." Scarlet responded and walked towards Orfeo and Nico, who had been giving worried glances towards Scarlet. She took off the wristband she had been wearing and made a smile towards Orfeo. "I want to give you something."_

"_For me?" Orfeo blinked and Scarlet shakingly handed him the wristband, smiling at him as her heart broke in two._

"_Happy Birthday, big guy…"_

_She turned around and walked away, turning to keep her head up high until she was out of their sight to release the sobs that were threatening to come out._

_~The Present~_

Scarlet grabs a nearby rock and throws it as hard as she can, making a _splash_ at the lake. She watches the water ripple from the impact and runs a hand through her shoulder-length hair.

"Hey."

She turns around to see Orfeo walking towards her, sitting down at her side as he smiles that dazzling smile she had always seen ever since her childhood.

"What got you angry?"

Scarlet flusters at the fact Orfeo manages to read her like a book. Even so, he _still_ doesn't know her feelings towards him.

He's just as oblivious as Percy, as Nico would say to her when she asked about his half-brother.

"I'm a bit…pissed."

"At what exactly?"

"At a guy who's still too clueless to know my feelings…"

A pause fills the air and Orfeo asks in a voice she couldn't identify other than shock.

"Your feelings? A guy you like?"

"Not like…" She said before a blush creeps through her cheeks and she stick her eyes to the lake as she indirectly confesses with a mumble. "I _love_ him…but he won't feel the same."

"What?!" His exclaims made Scarlet jump a little in surprise. "Nonsense! You're worthy enough to catch anyone's eyes, Scarlet!"

"You're just saying that as a best friend..."

"Well, there are still the Aphrodite kids."

"Wow. Ouch. Thank you for the salt." Scarlet laughs half-heartedly, even though her heart hurts when he mentions the Aphrodite kids.

She has nothing against them.

Just only that one certain girl.

"I'm sorry. Really." Orfeo apologizes, patting her head. "But you shouldn't count yourself out. Hey, how about you confess him right now?"

She blushes even more. "N-Now?"

"Yes. Now."

Scarlet gives Orfeo a long stare and her will nearly broke.

The years have been kind to him. His skin is the same, if not slightly more tan, his hair is shaggy and his eyes gleam with years of bravery and confidence as well as warmth. His orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and black jeans made him look all the more attractive and Scarlet knows, by accident, that there are scars from his battles on his lean, slightly muscled torso.

And that made him all the more _sexier_.

"I can't. Not now, at least…"

"Why not?" Orfeo looks genuine surprise and Scarlet can imagine relief in them as if her inner self hoped he has feelings for her.

She must have a good imagination because it seems so real.

"I got a quest to go in a few days and if I just confess before it and then left…well, who knows what will happen…"

"Ah…You, Clarisse and Chris plan on going to fight some of the monsters wreaking havoc around the neighborhood next to the abandon warehouse, right?"

"Yep." She leans on one of her knees and stares at the waters, watching it reflecting the moonlight to give the scenery an almost romantic view...

"Then promise me."

"Huh?"

"Promise me you'll at least think about confessing to the guy _after_ you're done with the quest when you're with Clarisse and Chris. You still got a chance to do so. You deserve happiness before it's too late."

"Orfeo-"

"Promise me that."

Scarlet looks at the determine look and she knows when he makes up his mind, he won't back down on it. She lets out an exasperate sigh.

"Fine. I promise."

A grin plasters onto his face and Scarlet almost confess to him right there and then when-

"Orfeo, sweetie! Come here!"

"Coming, Candi!" He lets out a sigh and sends Scarlet an apologetic smile. She smiles and gives him a light push.

"Go on. Get out of here. Your lady needs you."

"Thanks, Scarlet." He stays there for a few more seconds as if he's deciding something before he gets up and starts walking towards his girlfriend, letting her hook her arms around one of his in a romantic fashion.

Scarlet turns away from the sight but in the midst of a victory party and millions of happy demigods, she sits alone in the darkness of the lake with her heart turning as hard as steel.

_~A Few Days Later~_

"So you're going to confess to Orfeo. In a _letter_."

"That's right."

Scarlet replies as she continues to write on a peach-colored paper, the light she receives only came from the fireplace. Clarisse is sitting next to Chris, comfortable in each other's presence.

"You're a coward, you know that?"

"Better a coward than a B. I'm just glad I can tell him in some ways that doesn't involve rejection right at my face."

"I still don't understand why you just don't say the word bitch. You said crap, shit and hell all the time. Why not say the other words?"

"I'm not the cussing type like you, Clarisse. Saying F, B and a few other words I shall not mention are too foreign on my tongue. If I said it too much, I'll be using them as often as a child saying 'candy'."

"Although," Chris begins. "Clarisse practically says 'Rahh!' a lot more than children saying 'candy'. Haha-Ow!"

Chris groans in pain at the sudden hit in the gut by an elbow by none other than his blushing girlfriend. Scarlet giggles at the sight.

"I'm still surprised you managed to like the counselor of the Ares Cabin."

"What can I say? I'm attracted to a girl as feisty as her."

"Alright, enough with the hell of this!" Clarisse stands up abruptly and walks to one of the three tents that are set up. "I'm going to bed."

Chris yawns a bit. "Yeah. Me too."

"You guy go get some sleep. I'll stay up a little longer."

Clarisse and Chris nods and heads off to their respective tents, snuggling into the comforts of their sleeping bags.

Scarlet leans against the tree and looks up at the shimmering stars, her thoughts running through her mind. Clarisse has been chosen to lead the quest a few days ago but when Scarlet was talking to Rachel one day, the words of the Oracle of Delpi suddenly spoke the unfinished words of a prophecy that couldn't leave her mind…

_Three shall leave but only two shall return_

_The unclaimed child will disappear with a heart that yearns._

Even though Clarisse is leading the quest, Scarlet knew the prophecy is referring to this quest. She knew the daughter of war was worried about it if she knew. The death of Silena made Clarisse more determine to protect the people she considers friends and because of that, Scarlet has to make sure the prophecy was for her ears only.

This may as well be the last quest she can ever get.

The thought got her to write the words she wish to give to Orfeo on the letter. The pressure of it made her a tear fall down one of her cheeks…

_~Two Days Later, At Dawn~_

The camp got a shocking discovery at what meets them at dawn.

Outside the gates are Chris and Clarisse, with wounds of beast claws and sword cuts on their bodies. Chris has one of his arms around Clarisse's shoulder with one of his legs limping. The Apollo kids quickly take Chris to their cabin for treatment and out the crowd comes Orfeo, whose eyes darts around the area behind Clarisse in search of his best friend. When there was no sign of her, Orfeo turns to Clarisse.

"Where's Scarlet?"

Clarisse flinches at the name and faces the ground, making Orfeo fear the worst. He grasps her arms and so urgently, he's ready to panic.

"_Where_ is she?!"

Clarisse only lower her head.

"I'm sorry…"

Orfeo's blood turns cold. Clarisse takes a deep breath and speaks again.

"The monster took us by surprise. Turns out, their leader was a Chimera. It set the place on fire after we turned him to dust. We tried to escape but a burning debris stopped Scarlet from escaping with us. I tried my best to save her, Orfeo but she only shook her head and said she'll miss us…like she knew she would die soon."

Orfeo's body went numb and Clarisse pulls out a letter out of her pocket, passing it to Orfeo. "She wanted me to give this to you…She gave it to me before we head in and I thought maybe because she want me to see your reaction and have it report back but…I see that wasn't the case."

Orfeo grabs the letter and rips it open with haste, opening it to find Scarlet's handwritten words…

_Dear Orfeo,_

_If you're reading this, I must be dead already…_

_I know you might be breaking down right now but don't. Please._

_It was my time, Orfeo. It scared me as well but death is irrelevant._

_It cannot be avoided._

_I don't know what will be ahead of my time but I can say that I rather die without regrets…which is impossible to do so._

_There are so many things that I wanted to do. The things I wanted to experience._

_I wanted to fight alongside with our friends. I want to laugh, cry and be happy with the camp. I want to meet the new demigods that have been coming to our camp. I want to keep protecting my home. __**Our**__ home._

_But most importantly…I want to be __**with**__ you. Not as a friend or a sister._

_But as a __**lover**__._

_I love you, Orfeo…I truly do, ever since the day we met._

_But with you and Candi…I was afraid of getting rejected. But seeing as how I'm dying…I'm just glad I get to confess to you._

_If I have to regret the biggest thing in my life, it would be the fact that I can't be with you longer._

_I never knew my godly father. I lost my mom. I never knew what a true friend is._

_But you came to help me up._

_You didn't care who's godly parent I belong to. You didn't care if I'm moody. You would comfort me when I cry from my rare nightmare. You showed me what a true friend is and I manage to experience what those Aphrodite girls have been talking about._

**True Love.**

_I'm a bit sad at the fact that I won't be able to see your face again but I'll never forget the smile I have fell for._

_I only ask one favor from you: Live._

_Live for the both of us. You may not return my feelings of love but you and I have feelings to protect this camp. To care for it. To help it grow in every way possible._

Orfeo starts to notice the handwriting are getting a little unsteady, as if Scarlet had wrote this with shaking hands. His vision blurs slightly but he continues to read.

_I don't trust Candi. Not at all. But I trust your choices and I shall respect it. Live your life. Get married…Have kids…_

_It saddens me to write those words but it comes from my heart…It's for the best._

_I'm sorry for not telling you but it's better this way..._

_Hah…If my handwriting isn't obvious enough, I'm actually too shaky to write anymore…_

_I apologize for the shakiness in them…My visions are a bit blurry at the moment…_

_The moon is beautiful tonight…Remember to say hello to the night sky if you can._

_I'll always love you. As long as the gods live, I will love you just as much…_

_Goodbye…Orfeo…_

Orfeo grips the letter in his hand and turns around, running through the crowd as he heads towards his cabin and slams the door shut with a bang. He leans against the door with tears streaming down his face as he slides down to the floor.

He has always loved her. Hell, he still does. But he thought she would never feel the same way…So he tried to move on but of course, it has failed. He plans to confess to her after her return and he had broken up with Candi before overhearing the fact she was using him as a test to join Drew Tanaka's group.

He was ready to confess to Scarlet. He was ready as much as his godly father was ready to kidnap Persephone. If there's one thing he respect something about his father, it would be the strength of his father's love towards people close to him.

Strength of his love. Not loyalty. But Orfeo won't be like that. No. He will forever be loyal to his love one and he shall do so when Scarlet is his.

But now it's too late.

She's gone. For good.

Orfeo lets out a loud, angry cry, slamming a fist onto the sturdy floor with pain and anger as more tears flow down his face.

The son of Hades sobs and presses his forehead against the floor with the droplets falling onto it.

"Scarlet…"


	2. The Battle of The Demigods

**Second chapter is up! And a little heads up…I'm not good with the prophecy and because this is my first PJHoO fanfic, it'll take some time for me to adjust but for now, excuse my mistakes ^^"**

**Main Pairings: OC x OC, Nico x Percy**

**Side Pairing: Jason x Leo (may change in the future? Idk T_T), Piper x Annabeth, Hazel x Frank and Clarisse x Chris.**

**Kuro and Mii-kun: We got no time for disclaimers! Just read back on chapter 1 for it! =w=**

* * *

><p>Two years have passed since that very incident.<p>

And not once have Orfeo stopped missing Scarlet.

After making the funeral for Scarlet, Orfeo became darker and more Hades-like than anyone had ever noticed. Even his half-brother, Nico thought he's too much. When some of the girls started asking him out, Orfeo gave them a quick glare before walking away to a lonelier place. And when some of the more snobbish girls told him 'Scarlet isn't worth it'…well…You can imagine how bad the punishment Orfeo got for pointing his sword at a defenseless, scared demigod.

It took about 3 months for him to get out of the phase and that's just because he had some help from his friends and siblings. Nico did bring him to the Underworld to find Scarlet in Elysium but she wasn't there…For all they know, she has decided to reincarnate.

And that broke Orfeo's heart even more.

Instead of being trapped in the cabin like Nico and the others thought, Orfeo took on a quest. When he came back to the camp, everyone got away from him from the sight of him. He went to defeat a drakon with Percy and Jason and from their words, Orfeo had been charging head on against some of the monsters that stepped into their way. And the scariest part is, the monsters are starting to fear Orfeo as well. Because of that, Orfeo decided he should train in camp and stop going to deadly quests unless it has to do with keeping the camp safe in a not-so-far area.

Even though the years have been kind to his appearance, Orfeo still manages to look scary. His skin has gone paler from visiting the Underworld more than usual; his eyes are as black as obsidians with emotions kept away under lock and key, guarded by times of cruel hardships and strong will. His hair is a scene haircut, having one of his bangs just above his right eye and the end of his hair reaches until his shoulder. His body is still lean but the muscles on his arms is slightly buffer than His attitude has been dark and he has been pushing himself in

But thanks to the comforting words of Piper, the advices of Nico, the encouraging words of Percy and the slightly harsh beating (with words, of course) from Annabeth, he managed to get out of his shell and went back to being his usual self.

Well…almost. He has a _much_ better temper now but insult him about his friends, he'll chop your head off before you can say 'Ha!'.

So for a year, he has been spending his time training mentally and physically with meditating along (or with Nico on rare cases), sword fighting with Percy or watching how the group have so much oblivious people loving one another without knowing that the person likes them back.

Oh, the people he sees. After Annabeth and Piper broke up with their boyfriends (on good terms) to date each other, Piper, Annabeth and Frank and Hazel have already hook up but, unfortunately, there are 4 specific guys who are _still_ oblivious of each other. Due to some random share of news from Piper, Annabeth, Frank and Hazel, Jason has been ogling Leo (mostly his ass), Leo has been daydreaming about Jason (causing Leo to occasionally burst into flames), Percy has been trying to spend more time with Nico (which his half-brother never seem to mind) and Nico _still_ haven't confess! Sure, everyone (except Percy, as usual) knows he likes Percy and vice versa. Hell, they have been trying to hook them up. Even Nico accepts being gay (at least around the _Argo II_ crew) but he thinks Percy likes Leo and Percy still thinks Nico isn't gay. At all. And Jason and Leo, gods, it's the similar. Leo thought Jason likes Reyna and Jason thinks Leo likes _Nico_.

It was so plainly obvious that Annabeth have thoughts of putting a giant sign on their foreheads saying 'I love _'. Sadly, Aphrodite seems to be enjoying the fact that the 4 male demigods are wallowing in thoughts of love problems.

At least they _have_ love. Orfeo already lost his and it aches. Terribly.

"Orfeo!"

The man in question turns to see Chris running towards him, disturbing the quiet meditation spot among the trees. He raises a brow.

"Hey, Chris. What's the matter?"

Chris, who just got back from a quest, pants and looks at him with worried eyes. "Chiron wants to see you. Now."

Orfeo frowns at that. For 2 months now, there have been missing demigods from camp. The satyrs have been trying to bring back all the demigods but oddly enough, when there was an Iris message, the satyrs said there have been kidnappings of young monsters and demigods lately. This brought disturbing trouble for Chiron and the Camp.

Whatever Chiron wants, it must be involved with the missing demigods.

"Alright. You should take a rest before heading with us. I'll let you know the prophecy." Orfeo gets up from the rock he was sitting on and searches for Chiron, leaving a panting Chris to rest on the rock instead.

By the time Orfeo found Chiron at the Oracle's house, he notices the others are there as well, with Chiron by Rachel's side.

"You wanted to see me, Chiron?"

"Yes…well, it would appear Rachel has just told a prophecy."

Rachel nods and she turns to him. "Although, it was at a random time. But it might have something to do with the missing disappearance lately."

"I don't suppose you can try summoning it?" Leo asks and Rachel nods a bit.

"I can try-" But before she can answer the question, her eyes and body began to glow green and wispy green mist is being released from her mouth as well as the voice of the Oracle herself.

"_The quest shall begin when nine are sent_

_To a ring full of yearlong resent._

_A phoenix shall decide their battling fate_

_By standing with its name or to fall with the lies of hate._

_The choices shall lead them to survive or to die._

_The phoenix will prove its worth with a tearful cry_

_It can only be saved by a vow covered by a shadow._

_Only their bond can kill the darkness of a heart so hallow."_

As soon as the Oracle said those words, the glow and the mist disappears and Rachel staggers a bit before staring at the shocked faces of her friends and allies. "I'm guessing it's something bad as usual?"

"_The quest shall begin when nine are sent to a ring full of yearlong resent…_Well, at least we know how many of us are going." Frank mutters and scratches his head. "But still…A phoenix. Isn't that another mythical creature?"

"From the Greek, yes. It is said to have the ability to reborn or regenerate from its predecessor's ashes." Chiron explains before his brows furrow. "However, the phoenix is a very rare bird. For the prophecy to mention it…" He shakes his head. "No, no…That's absurd."

"What? What is it?"

Chiron hesitates a bit before he sighs to face the counselor of the Athena cabin. "It's possible the Oracle was referring to the 'Phoenix Royale'."

"'Phoenix Royale'?"

Chiron nods again. "I thought it was a myth but if, hypothetically, the myth is real…then disappearance began because of it. It's a Colosseum where it's a battle between gladiators. They have a lot of monsters and various creatures battling and watching in there. But it's bloodthirsty on some end. However, it was said to be a hateful thing so because of that, the battling event had been going from places to places, going through different towns and cities in the U.S.A."

"That's gonna be harder then…If it's real and moves around a lot, it'll be like finding the Doors of Death. Only, we're looking for a _building_!"

"Relax, Sparky." Leo said with a cheeky grin. "At least it's bigger to find it."

"Then what about the phoenix?" Piper speaks up.

"It might be imprisoned inside the Colosseum." Orfeo offers. Percy nods slowly.

"Yeah…It could be in trouble."

"Or maybe it's being used to battle by the one who managed to capture it."

Nico's words hang in the air to emit deep silence. Chiron stomps the ground with one of his hooves.

"For now, we must prepare for the unexpected. We don't know who we'll be facing. And Orfeo…" Chiron looks at him, silently thinking before speaking up. "I think you're included in this quest as well."

"Me?"

"Seeing as how the Oracle said nine and there are only eight…you might as well be that ninth."

"I can't. I still have to protect Camp Half-Blood. If I end up travelling around-"

"_She_ would have wanted you to."

Orfeo's body turns stiff from Nico's words while everyone else sent an alarming look to the sons of Hades.

"Admit it, Orfeo. You know she feels the same way. In fact, she would be pulling your ear."

"I hate getting my ear pulled like that…" Orfeo muttered quietly and then sighs. "Even so, she would want me to protect this place. Whoever this person is, they might try to attack it."

"Then what better way to protect the camp than fighting the source of the problem?"

Orfeo becomes quiet, not because of wrestling the choices but because of how true Nico's words are. Finally, he lets out an exasperated sigh.

"She wouldn't call it camp." Orfeo stares at everyone, determination in his eyes. "She would've called it _home_."

"Then it's settled." Chiron begins. "Now we just need to find the most recent-"

"_Home…"_

Everyone stops at the sudden voice and they turn to Rachel.

"Hey. It wasn't me nor the Oracle!" Rachel raises her hands in surrender.

"Then…who was it?" Frank asks quietly but before anyone can answer, the voice repeats.

"_Home…We want to go home…_

_Let us go home…Let us go home…"_

The voice becomes voices and soon, every demigod in camp can hear it. The voices grow louder and more desperate, turning into the cries of the suffered.

"_Let us go home…_

_Let us go home…_

_**LET US GO HOME!**__"_

The campers as well the directors cover their ears from the shrill screech of the unknown, their mind being spoken by the sorrowful words of the lonely ones.

"_You shall join us tonight…_

_You shall be here like us…_

_But you shall be our saviors…_

_Our saviors…_

_**Save us!**__"_

"Ow…I think they're gone…" Leo said, rubbing one of his ears. Orfeo shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

"Just what _was_ that?" Percy asks as he looks around.

"It couldn't be the dead." Nico mutters. "If it was, I would have felt some ghostly presence."

"Do you think they infiltrated camp?" Piper suggests with worry.

"Impossible. The shield is still up." Annabeth explains matter-of-factly to her girlfriend. The child of Athena rubs her chin in thought. "But they just said something about tonight…"

"This is most troubling…" Chiron speaks and closes his eyes, nodding in thought. "But we can't be sure if these voices are in need of help or it's a trap. Be on guard for tonight."

Orfeo subconsciously places his hand on the wristband on his right wrist, the gift Scarlet had given. "Yes, sir…" Everyone replies before going to do his or her preparations. However, certain demigods left in pairs to discuss certain matters…

Let's see what the single, troubled demigods have in mind, shall we?

_~With Leo and Percy~_

"My god, Nico is too hot!"

Percy ruffles his hair in frustration, whimpering in self-suffering while Leo has one hand covering his eyes with a full-blown blush across his cheeks.

"Tell me about it. Jason looks so _goodddd_."

Percy sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Seriously, how can I imagine Nico topping me? He's 3 years younger than me!"

"Technically, he's old enough to be-"

"THOSE MISSING YEARS DON'T COUNT!" Percy glares at Leo who is grinning like no tomorrow.

"A lot of us can consider you as a bottom if they know you're gay."

"All except Nico…" Percy sighs softly. "He'll just be done with me on that."

Leo raises a brow. "Dude, I don't think Nico would just ignore you _just_ because you're gay."

"I know but…Well, Nico always push me away and I'm getting the sense that maybe he knows I'm gay."

"I doubt it." Leo inwardly scoffs before shaking his head. "Besides, at least you know Nico doesn't have anyone to like. I still have Reyna as a competitor…"

"Ah…" Percy said in understanding and groans. "Why do we have to fall for the hottest guys? This is just…"

"Minotaur shit?"

"Exactly!" Percy agrees and puts his arms behind his head, walking towards the Arena. "I'm gonna take some sword-fighting practice. Wanna join me?"

"Sure. I need to get my mind off of Jason."

The two boys sigh at the thought of their man, the sad thought of not being able to obtain the one they love creeping into their brain and spreading through their head.

_~With Nico, Jason and Orfeo~_

"Come on, Nico!"

"No."

"But you should-"

"No."

"Maybe if you-"

"Jason, if you _dare_ continue that sentence, I'll chop off your head."

Orfeo shakes his head at his half-brother's protests towards the son of Jupiter and decides to speak up. "Nico, Jason's right. You're gonna have to come clean sooner or later."

"See?" Jason emphasizes with a grin that says 'Even he's on my side!'.

"Even though Jason is being a hypocrite here."

"Hey! I am _not_ a hypocrite!"

"Tell that to Leo when you _aren't_ thinking about his ass all day."

"Hey!" Jason glares at Orfeo, who blinks at the dark look. Being the God of Death's son, glares barely affect him. The staring contest last a while before Jason blushes a bit and looks away, muttering. "It's 24/7 to be precise…"

Nico rolls his eyes. "And you still say I have problems."

"That is entirely true, seeing as how you practically stalk Percy at every waking moment."

Jason snickers at the flustered boy's reaction before being swatted on the arm. "Ow." Jason looks at Orfeo with a hesitating look. "What about you, Orfeo?"

"What about me?"

"Well…" Jason begins but by the look in his eyes, Orfeo knows what he means.

"_No._" Orfeo hisses out. "I am _not_ playing matchmaker _again_!"

"C'mon, Orfeo. Think about it. Scarlet told you to live!"

"And I _am_ doing it." Orfeo insists and shakes his head. "But I can't move on. I tried forgetting her, I tried dating someone else but they don't…connect." He looks at the side. "The girls here in camp…they don't fit my cup of tea."

"But Orfeo-"

"No buts. This conversation is done." Orfeo sighs and walks away from their sight. "I'm going. See you later, guys."

No one stopped him. Instead, they decided that it's best to let his mind be cooled off.

_~At sunset~_

Orfeo stares down at the lake and grabs a nearby rock, throwing it to try to make the rocks skip the waters. It only managed to skip thrice.

"_You're not supposed to skip it like that, Scarlet."_

"_Eh? Really?"_

"_Here, I'll show you."_

_Orfeo smiled at an 11 year old Scarlet, showing her the proper way to skip the stone through the water. It made 7 skips before it sank into the water. Scarlet watched in awe at the multiple jumps._

"_That looks so fun!"_

"_You can do it too." He said and stood behind Scarlet, grabbing one of her hands that contain the stone. "It's all about the wrist…you just move your hand back…"_

_His free hand moved to her hip, steadying her position. His words stopped when he saw how the sunset glow gave Scarlet a look of a burning beauty, her hair turning golden red like flames coming to life. Her lips barely show a smile but even without it, he could see her eyes glowing with child-like excitement. That just showed how close their relationship was._

"_And then what?"_

_Her voice sounded curious, even to his ears as his lips turned into the smiles he gave only for Scarlet. "Then you just…throw."_

_The rock managed to make 10 skips before it sank into the yellow-gold waters as the sun sank along with it._

Orfeo leans against the tree as the sun slowly disappear in the horizon. The night turns black and the water grows quiet. How could he just let her go? How can he just leave her alone in those neglecting years? He had been too busy with his friends at camp and his ex-girlfriend, Candi, to spend enough time with her.

Was this what she had felt when he went with Candi to go to the bonfire party?

Was this what she had felt whenever he's not around?

Surely she has someone else by her side, right?

_You were her only family._

That thought made him flinch. Of course. Scarlet lost her mom when she was a child, her godly father never got to claim her and all her life, she barely made any friends. She barely lived her life.

"Damn it." He curses under his breath and tilts his head back, staring at the constellation of the sky. He closes his eyes and takes a few breathing exercise. After a few moment of silence, he gets up slowly. He opens his eyes to look at the water one last time before turning to head for his cabin.

But when he looks over his shoulder, something hit the back of his head and he fell into an unconscious state. The only he heard before darkness swallows him was the sound of metal feet touching the ground in casual steps.

_~?~_

Nico di Angelo is not amused.

Not in the least.

One moment, he was sleeping on his bed dreaming about Percy (and possible kids), the next, he found himself in an unknown space. Not to mention, the kidnappers wasn't gentle to his back at all.

Was this what the voices were talking about? About joining them tonight? This brought a sudden instinct in his body and a worry thought in his mind.

_Did they took Jackson?_

Hades be damned if they took his precious Sea Prince! If they so much as touch his hair, he'll throw them himself to Tartarus!

"Ngh…Poseidon's fishes, what just happened?" A familiar voice groans and Nico's heart quickens at the mere sound of it.

"Percy? Percy!" Nico calls out in the dark. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Percy answers as he starts groping the area around him. "Where are you? It's too dark!"

"I'm over here. Just follow the sound of my-Ah!" Nico lets out a strangled cry.

"Nico? What's wrong?" Percy asks questioning before his brows furrow at what he grabbed. He gives it a soft squeeze.

"A-Ah! P-Percy…I-I think you're touching my-Oh _fuck_!" Nico bites his lower lip and groans while trying to keep his arousal to a minimum, which is hard to do so since the reason for it is the sudden soft squeeze between his legs. Percy, realizing what he had just touched, blushes and retreats his hand.

"Oh gods, Nico! I am _so_ sorry!"

"I'm not."

The two boys turn to the sound at their right, their eyes adjusting to the darkness. There sat a grinning Orfeo and a blushing Leo and Jason while Hazel, Frank, Piper and Annabeth are smiling knowingly.

Nico glares at Orfeo with so much killer intent. "Not. Another. Word."

"Wouldn't dream of it, bro." Orfeo looks around the area. "So…does anyone have any idea what happen?"

"I don't know…" Piper rubs her head, cursing under her breath. "But whoever it was, they walk pretty silent."

"And they seem to love hitting people from behind." Leo mutters and gets up slowly.

Everyone else follow Leo's lead in getting up and sees two pathways, the one behind them and the one in front of them. However, the one behind them seems shut by some metal bars.

"Guess we're going up front."

With cautious steps, they head through the strange tunnel of the place. It certainly isn't underground, since the walls are brick-like. The sound of their steps bounces off the walls and at the end of the tunnel is light. Walking towards it, the demigods prepare to step into the light and have their instincts to tell them three words: _Be on guard._

"_WELCOME TO THE BATTLE OF THE DEMIGODS!"_

When the demigods got used to the lighting, what they see is something beyond their imagination. It was like a Greek Colosseum, where millions of monsters are at the stands and the flags of the gods (blue trident, red hammer, black helmet, etc) that looks tattered. The monsters are cheering excitedly with roars of malice and hatred deep in their cries and their eyes gleaming with dangerous intent. The nine demigods never thought there could be so many in one Colosseum. Opposite of the entrance from where they entered from is the emperor's seat box watching over the entire area. Sitting on a giant throne is a man with a sickening smile and black curly hair that reaches over his shoulders. The crown on his head is a golden wreath, decorated with diamonds at the sides and a large ruby in the middle. The toga he's wearing is dyed black with the badge on the clothing being the face of the sleeping Gaia. Besides him is a very buff man with the head of a bull, wearing only a grey toga with the same badge as the dictator beside him. The Minotaur, holding a microphone, lets out an announcement as loud as a man preparing the world's most amazing magic show.

"_Tonight, our champion has got ourselves the strongest demigods of all time! First is the boy with no love, the boy who lived with his regrets as a slave to his camp! Please welcome, Orfeo Crow, the son of Hades!"_

Orfeo glares at the announcer as the sounds of hisses and boos echoes through the arena. He clenches his hands into fists and grits his teeth. But he swallows his anger and lets out a frustrated sigh.

"_Next is the seventh wheeler! The dead last demigod in the Prophecy of Seven but don't underestimate him! He'll burn you to a crisp! The son of Hephaestus and the only fire-manipulating demigod of this century, Leo Valdez!"_

"This guy is asking for a dead wish…" Jason mutters under his breath with his fingers crackling with electricity.

Leo, however, lets out a laugh. "I guess I'll have to show them that the underdogs are usually the coolest ones."

Jason looks worriedly at his best friend and crush but the announcer continues.

"_Thirdly, meet the Glamour Girl! The girl who makes cursed jewels, the demigod who had been given a second chance in life from her death in 1942 and the one who had a greedy mortal as her mom, make an applause for the daughter of Pluto, Hazel Levesque!"_

Hazel's eyes burn while Frank wraps an arm around her waist to comfort her.

"Seriously, _how_ did they manage to know all about us?"

"With the monsters we have been attacking, it wouldn't be shocking if they collected data from us."

"_Dating Hazel is the Chinese Canadian demigod! Yes, this hunk of meat has been given the blessing of Mars and because of that, BOOM! Ladies, you got yourself a hunky man of war over here! Say hello to the son of Mars and descendant of Poseidon, Frank Zhang!"_

Frank shivers when he notices the Minotaur giving him a flirtatious wink and Leo pats his back.

"Looks like you got yourself a fan here. At least he's not badmouthing you."

"To be honest, it would have been better if he did…"

"_Next up, meet the most alluring demigod you'll ever meet! She's the first daughter to be a tomboy with the parent she has and her father is the ever so famous actor who shall not be mention! She stole a BMV and the very few demigods who can use charmspeak, please cry out for Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite!"_

"Well, they must have gone through my records to know I borrowed a BMV by accident."

"They wouldn't be the first one." Annabeth said as she smiles secretly, earning a suspicious look from Piper.

"…Did you went through my records?!"

"What? No!" Annabeth pauses. "I went through your medical records."

Percy gives her a look. "…It's official. Daughters of Athena are scary. Ow!"

"_After her is her blonde girlfriend! But don't be such stereotypes, because this girl has some impressive brain, despite being a know-it-all she-devil. With a reputation of being the only child of Athena to retrieve the __Athena Parthenos__, meet the girl who defeated Arachne! Please welcome Annabeth Chase!"_

"I am _not_ a she-devil!"

"You kinda are."

"Not the point, Percy!"

Nico glares at her a bit but Jason clears his throat before there can be an argument.

"Shall we get back to the matter at hand?"

"_And now we reach the final three! We have the emo boy, the child who lost his only sister Bianca di Angelo when he was ten! Now seventeen, this guy is a dangerous guy that if you piss him off, he'll drag you down to the Underworld like his dad! Give it up for Nico di Angelo!"_

Nico lowers his head at the mention of his sister. He shuts his eyes tightly when he has images of when he was ten, young and full of life with lots of interest in Mythomagic. His hands clench tightly and he glares right at the Minotaur, emitting aura of darkness. Percy notices this and his look turns to one of crestfallen. It was his fault for not being able to protect Bianca. If he had saved her, Nico wouldn't be trapped in the fact that Bianca is dead. The two demigods speak no words to each other. While the rest are wondering why the two demigods seem tense, Hazel and Orfeo knew the real reason.

"_Secondly is Sparky boy! All of you girls out there, faint from the sight of this blond hottie 'cause he'll spark his way to your heart with just a smile! With a sister being part of the Artemis' Huntress tribe, take a sneak peek at the son of Jupiter, Jason Grace!"_

All the girls in the stands starts squealing, cheering or fainting at the mere mention of his name, making Leo jealous to no end.

"Leo, your hair is on fire. Again."

Leo blinks at Frank's statement before patting his hair to douse his flames, blushing at the sudden burst of lost control. However, it didn't go unnoticed by a certain blond male.

"_And last but CERTAINLY not least! The demigod who defeated Gaia and Kronos, the man who every monster know, the person who led the life of watching his friends dying for his sake and the guy who has the sweetest ass, make way for the son of Poseidon, the legendary water boy…_

_PETER JOHNSON!"_

Everyone stares at the Minotaur while the eight demigods let out muffling laughter with Percy's eyes glaring right at the beast. This Minotaur must be the one he defeated. Or related to said bull-man at least.

It seems someone managed to tell the Minotaur about the mistake because the king clears his throat, speaking something to the monster's ear and the Minotaur has a look of realization before clearing his throat as well, speaking again.

"_Ah, sorry folks. Seems like I got the wrong information from some joke. What I meant to say is…_

_PERCY JACKSON!"_

Every monster in the building cry out animalistic cheers, some whistling about Percy's ass. Nico's aura grows darker, making some of the demigods to step back. Percy, being the oblivious idiot he is, thought it was something about Bianca.

"_And now, we shall congratulate the champion who brought them here. The very being who fought 999 battles and won! Introducing…the Silent Machine!"_

Coming out of the entrance where the demigods came from, sounds of metal boots clacking against the hard ground made them turn around to see the being walking into the ring.

The being has a slender body with an impressive armor. She, seeing as how the body is female, has a steel plate helmet, covering her identity. On top of it is the Greek-styled crest, red and orange hair adorning the silver-colored helmet. The visor of the helmet has black shades, covering the inside of the helmet.

Her armor looks almost as if it's molded together to make the perfect female armor. The gorget is covered in cravings with a sword on the left side of it and a hammer on the right. Her arms are bare but her forearms and hands are covered in a pair of gauntlets, where the fingers of it are as sharp as claws of a metal draconic design. The armor seems to fit all her curves and shapes, as if it's fitted only for her. The tasset on it reaches down to half of her bare thighs, covering all the sides of her hips and parts above her thighs except for the front where, under the tasset, is what seems like those types of scaled armor loincloth-like clothing where the fabric reaches until a bit below the knees.

Her footwear turns out to be metal shoes like what knights would wear, minus the cuisse and poleyns at least. The greaves are scaled metal as well as the sabatons, almost dragon-scale like.

"…" True to the announcer's words, the being didn't speak. Orfeo is about to grab his weapon when the Minotaur continues.

"_Today, we shall see the challenges we have given the demigods to see who shall have their freedom! We shall see which of the strongest demigods will come out unharmed so being your betting as we prepare the demigod gladiators for their BATTLE!"_

At the last word, every monster, including the announcer, let out an applauding roar of excitement. The Silent Machine gestures to the demigods to follow her, walking into the entrance it went out before.

Seeing as how they are out-numbered, the demigods have no choice but to follow.

What meets their eyes are things they never thought could happen. The passage where the metal bars were are retreating to the ceiling and behind it, after lighting up the way, are doors with symbols of the assigned gods.

Different demigods, all being in the age between 12 and 19, are set into groups of their assigned parents. Hephaestus's hammer, Aphrodite's dove, Zeus's lightning bolt, Poseidon's trident, etc. When all the demigods look up, they stand with surprise.

"Silen, are these…" One boy with multicolored hair asks hesitantly before another boy with dark red hair speaks.

"Don't tell me the king wanted them."

"…" Silen nods her head, confirming the dark red haired boy's assumption. Many demigods look worried before another demigod speaks up.

"This is hopeless. We'll never get out." The boy with green hair, as strange as that is, begins.

"Stop saying that, Vinero. We _can_ get out." The dark red-haired kid protests.

"Spike is right." A girl with dark brown hair and multicolored eyes agrees."I don't want all of you to rely on these heroes. You have to help them escape as well. They are not here just to get trapped like us."

"That's right!" Another girl with slightly bulky arms and light brown hair speaks up. "We didn't call for help just to lead more demigods into danger. We're making a plan and we'll need the same heroes who defeated Gaia, plus another child of Hades, to help us."

"Tch…I thought I smelt rats."

One of the boys chuckles mockingly. Leaning against one of the walls is a boy with yellow-gold hair, his black eyes gleaming wickedly. He stares pointedly at Orfeo and smirks. Vinero glares at him. "What are you doing here, Pallo? Aren't you with your gang?"

"I just want to see if there are new recruits. But I see they're not much worth. Well…except Percy Jackson over there."

Nico growls. "Back off."

"Hahaha! _Nico_ di Angelo…ugly little guy, aren't you? I can see why Bianca would run away."

"Pallo!"

"What? I'm saying the fact. I heard she became a Huntress because she can't stand Nico anymore. And here's another son of Hades…" His stare eyes Orfeo that it irritates the boy. "So, a boy with no love, huh? I'm guessing you let someone died, huh? You're weak, aren't you? Or…did you let someone take them away?"

_Swipe!_

The blonde-haired person pales at the sword that nearly scratched the side of his face, yelping at the weapon. Everyone turns to Silen, who lets the hand she used to throw the sword to fall to her side. Even if the helmet covers her face, everyone can imagine her glare being directed at the boy.

"Pallo, _enough._ If you have any insults on my troops again or insult newcomers for their life, you _will_ die right here and now."

Her voice, thought to be female, is actually a metallic monotone, almost like a genderless robot's voice. Pallo tsks but he left no further comments as he leaves the room through the door behind Silen. Spike grins as much as Vinero as they turn to the dumbstruck newcomers.

"Welcome to the _Demigod Battles._"

* * *

><p><strong>This is a pretty long chapter but I finally finished it! XD I hope you enjoy it because that armor part is pretty tough to do. X_X<strong>

**Kuro: A loincloth-like clothing? Seriously?**

**Me: What? There wasn't another name for it :/**

**Mii-kun: And yet, people can still put it up on girls for attracting more males…**

**Me: == okay, that's just rude. Anyways, please read and review and I hope you enjoyed that little Nico x Percy scene XD I had fun doing that. But now, I must study for exam!**

**Kuro and Mii-kun: Yaoi-loving Perv.**

**Me: == Urusai!**


End file.
